Madagascar Islands
With five thousand kilometres of coastline and sunshine most of the year, Madagascar's tropical islands are the ideal setting for relaxation, fishing, snorkelling, scuba diving, yachting and island hopping.
Known as the perfumed island for its fertile plantations of sugar, pepper, vanilla and ylang-ylang, Nosy Be offers a wide range of accommodation including the idyllic resort of Amarina. Day excursions to the Lokobe Reserve, Nosy Komba and Nosy Tanikely are highly recommended. The scented air and the general lifestyles are slower than a lot of other African island destinations. However, it is due to this lack of western influence that makes these islands so fascinating. The sunsets from the islands also make it a very worthwhile destination, as the sky turns from a light magenta to a deep orange the last rays of sun create shadowy illusions of the wooden pirogues and brightly clothed Madagascan women walking home with the day’s catch in buckets on their heads allowing a captivating moment only replicated a few times in any lifetime.
Further north lies the jewel-like archipelago of Nosy Mitsio. With its sparkling water and abundance of marine life this area offers superb snorkelling and scuba diving. Explore the outer islands on a live-aboard yacht, chartered from Nosy Be or indulge yourself at Tsarabanjina's "bare-foot"-luxury hotel chalets.